In the course of conducting business, enterprises may create and save large amounts of records. A record may be information created, received, and maintained as evidence and information pursuant to legal obligations or in the transaction of business. For example, a record may be a document, a form or template, an email, a telephone log entry, an audio recording, a business partner's contact information, or any other information. Legal obligations to maintain records may arise from governmental regulations, especially in certain industries such as insurance or finance.
The storage of a large amount of records creates the need for record management. Records management is the practice of identifying, classifying, archiving, preserving, and destroying records saved by the enterprise. An enterprise may use a records management system including a records management server, a network, and at least one terminal to manage its electronic records. The records management system may be required to comply with industry standards or governmental regulations.